Day of reckoning?
January 3rd, 2011
One may ask whether the headline of this editorial applies as much as to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani as the Sindh government. The former for sure will find it difficult to survive unless the PPP quickly finds a way to either convince its former allies to return to the fold, or forge fresh alliances. While the government is not immediately under threat in Sindh, it could very well be the next step of this gradual erosion of support for the PPP.
Going by the make-up of the province, the most stable government for Sindh would always been one where the MQM and the PPP share a coalition. The province and Karachi in particular may also be looking to some very uncertain days in the not-so-distant future. As for the federal level, the MQM has a hefty 25 seats in the National Assembly and Prime Minister Gilani will find it increasingly hard to command to the leadership of the house.
The MQM has said that its decision to sit in the opposition and in effect leave the government at the centre, is based on decisions such as increase in oil price announced on January 1 and the PPP’s insistence on the reformed GST. However, in the past couple of years, while the party has been in power, petrol prices have been raised several times so the cynic may wonder whether there is more to this decision than meets the eye. As for the RGST, the PPP has been unable to force a vote on it in parliament and the tax doesn’t in fact raise the rate of taxation but only broadens it to sectors of the economy that till now were outside the GST’s pale. Perhaps, points of conflict could have been the end of the nazim system for Karachi and the planned, but-now-delayed, decision to reintroduce commissioners. Also, the party has been of late complaining that some elements in the PPP were accusing it of being behind the violence in the city. That could also have been a bone an issue. One thing is for sure: the next few days will be tough for the PPP in Sindh and for the prime minister at the centre.
Fired up without any gas
January 3rd, 2011
Tempers are rising across Punjab over the lack of gas reaching homes and industries. In some cases, it seems we have reverted back to the Stone Ages. People desperate to make a meal collect wood to light outdoor fires. In factories, efforts are being made to run machinery manually.
The impact of the acute gas shortage in Punjab has been dramatic. The Punjab government claims a conspiracy has been hatched. Its contention is that the province is being deliberately deprived of gas in order to handicap the ruling set-up. People have been staging angry protests in Lahore and other cities. In some towns, there has been no gas for up to six days. Life has moved towards the impossible. Sui Northern Gas tells us the shortage in Punjab is caused by the fact that, constitutionally, the requirement is that gas producing areas be given priority in supply. This does not appear to be a strictly accurate account of events. In many parts of Balochistan there is no piped gas at all. The demands of people in this respect have been ignored for decades.
To make matters worse, the prices of gas have risen steeply over the last year. People resent handing over large sums of money for a utility they never receive. Apart from inconvenience, the energy shortage has crippled production. Smaller units have suffered immensely. In Faisalabad, we have heard of thousands of layoffs from the power-loom sector. This means more human misery. It also means a huge loss in economic terms. As the business community in Faisalabad has pointed out, the textile sector comprises a vital component of Pakistan’s exports. Losses can simply not be sustained. People are already out on the streets . The explanations by Sui Northern Gas carry no weight. Solutions have to be found before the energy crisis creates even more havoc.
Much-needed legislation
January 3rd, 2011
It is a sad comment on the state of our society that the law is often a step behind the myriad forms of brutality with which criminals strike their victims. The recently proposed law that seeks to criminalise disfiguring of women is a step in the right direction and a much-needed legal protection, though the very fact that a need arose for such a law is shameful.
Far too many men, it seems, think that attacking women with acid and horribly disfiguring them is a legitimate expression of whatever grievances they may feel. The law, as it currently stands, does not have a specific provision dealing with this crime and, as such, even the few who do get convicted of the crime often get light sentences.
It is a welcome development that the proposed bill, initiated by Fakhrun Nisa Khokher of the PPP and supported by Marvi Memon of the PML-Q, seems to have broad support across the political spectrum. This is a pleasant turn of events from the embarrassing ruckus in parliament that came about when previous bills concerning women’s rights were proposed, such as the Women’s Protection Bill of 2006. Perhaps our expectations are too low, but we are grateful that our legislators can agree that throwing acid on a woman’s face should be illegal.
The law was not voted on this past week, owing to procedural matters such as the absence of the law minister from the chamber as well as the desire of some members of parliament to further strengthen the law. As it stands, we see nothing wrong with the law and we hope this delay does not translate into the kind of orphaning that many a worthy piece of legislation has had to endure in the past. We hope that the bill becomes law soon and that parliament is able to take up further legislation protecting women’s rights, especially protections against violence, in the coming season.